Curse of the Dragon-Slayer
by HowAboutTeam
Summary: Natsu Dragneel has always been loyal to his friends, and would do anything to protect them. But when he goes on a job with them, he runs into the black wizard Zeref, and the spell that Zeref gives Natsu poisons his mind. Can Natsu go past the boundaries of magic and join once again with the friends that he tried so hard to preserve?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So the last story that we were working on was kind of a bust, so we thought of a new thing that we should write- Fairy Tail! Watch the anime or read the manga first or else you won't understand!**

 **The team is still the same- Joan Park and Purrfectly Me.**

 **If you want to join, contact; howabout215**

 **Ready? Let's go!**

 **!1!1!MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT!1!**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Fairy Tail or anything else that might be in it.**

 _ **Credits: Hiro Mashima, Me, Myself, and I.**_

-insert theme song-

* * *

" _Lucy… Lucy…"_ Lucy squirmed in her bed. " _Lucy.. Lucy… LUCY!"_

Lucy woke up with a start. "AAH!" Lucy yelped. Natsu and Happy roared with laughter at the sight of Lucy with a bedhead and pink pajamas. "NATSU!" She exclaimed. He waved a hand. "Hey, Lucy. You got any food?" Happy floated right next to him. "Aye!" Lucy felt herself getting red-hot. "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM WITH FOOD AND BREAKING INTO MY HOUSE?" she yelled, jamming a finger at the broken glass window. "Relax, it won't be broken anymore. Gray can just fix it and it'll be good as new." Natsu leapt into a chair and sank inside it.

"Anyway, move. I need to change." Lucy grumbled.

As Lucy went into the bathroom to change, she called out to Natsu, "We haven't gone on a job in a while, and I need to pay for rent next week!" "No problem. We can just go and get some pay from a job."Natsu replied. Lucy sighed. "Though for some reason we always end up doing jobs for free…"

"Nah, it's just luck. Hey, can I call Gray, Erza, and Wendy over? It'd be really nice to eat breakfast all together…" Natsu suggested with a grin. "I hate boys!" Lucy fumed, as Happy flew out of the broken window to fetch them.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

"Ahh, that hits the spot." Erza leaned back into one of Lucy's squishy cushions. Lucy was glaring at Natsu. "Don't think this is for free, I'm getting payed, alright!" Natsu smiled. "Yeah, okay. You deserve it, anyway. Happy?" he said, glancing at the blue feline. "Aye, sir!" he said, saluting.

He flew back with a wad of paper. "And here's a lifetime amount of autographs from the Salamander himself!" said Natsu, shoving the _Salamander_ written papers into Lucy's hands. "Why would I need this trash!" yelled Lucy, dumping them all in the fire. "Aw, I spent thirty minutes on that!" whined Natsu, Happy nodding. "Oh well, thanks for the meal!" he shouted, sucking in all of the flames from Lucy's fireplace. "What is your problem?" said Lucy angrily. "Light your finger! Now!" Natsu obliged, and Lucy thrust it inside the pile of ashes in her fireplace. "Geez, Natsu. You really know how to tick a girl off," said Gray. He lounged on top of a chair. "And you broke in, too," he added. "Yeah, well it's not like you're any better! Put some clothes on!" Natsu yelled back. Erza simply sipped her tea.

"Hey, Erza?" said Lucy, while the boys were fighting. "How can you stay so calm in all of- _this_?" said Lucy, gesturing at the boys. "You get used to it after a while. So which job did you want?" asked Erza, fingering her armor. "Well, we were _about_ to go check the request board, but after weighing the consequences…" Erza actually laughed. "Yeah, you're right. Wendy?" she said, looking at the blue-haired girl. "What do you think?"

"I think we should all make up," said Wendy, munching on a muffin with Carla at her side. "Don't eat _too_ much, child!" said Carla impatiently. Wendy stared at the two boys. "I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that two friends can be so… so…" "Rough?" offered Lucy, pouring another cup of tea. "Yeah," said Wendy, brightening up. "Yeah, well, it wasn't always like this. This is just them fighting _normally_ ," said Erza, gesturing to the brawl.

" _Oh Gray~"_ a sing-song voice whispered. Gray froze, taking a seat on a blue cushiony chair. "Uhm, Gray?" Natsu held in a laugh. "Nice chair," he said, almost bursting out with laughter. Happy flew next to him, giggling. "What are you talking about?" Gray replied, trying to hide the fact that he was scared with a smug smirk. "Um…" Lucy said, also giggling. Gray slowly looked down, not wanting to see what was there. "AGHH!" Gray yowled. "JUVIA?!" Gray bolted off his chair (which wasn't actually a chair). "Oh Gray, my _beloved,_ I have arrived to your needs!" Juvia gushed, eyes starry. "I didn't need anything!" Gray said, shocked. "Who's the lady's man?" Erza said with a grin. "Just stop,"Gray groaned. "Ok guys back to the subject! MONEY!" Lucy shouted. "We're going on a job!" She announced.

The squad arrived in the guild hall, the hall decked with the usual people. "Hey, Cana!" called out Lucy cheerfully. Cana waved drunkenly. "Wasssssup, Luce?" she slurred back. Lucy laughed quietly.

"Hey, Romeo!" said Natsu to Romeo. "Hi, Natsu! How's Wendy?" Romeo said kind of shyly. Natsu winked. "She's good, Romeo."

They checked out the request board. "Sweet! A job taking out this some monster to get… 10,000,000 jewel?!" he yelled. Erza took the flyer. "Yes! This is exactly what we need. Mira? We're taking this one," she added. Mirajane smiled serenely. "Good luck, guys!"

* * *

Natsu was about to hurl.

His cheeks inflated, face green, head hung over- all the telltale signs that he was about to throw chunks. "Hey… Gray?" he mumbled weakly. Gray smirked and leaned back. "What?"

"Kill me now, wouldja?" Gray wiggled his fingers, and cold air filled the train car. "That I can manage." Erza slapped his hand away from Natsu. "Poor Natsu…" Wendy stared at Natsu's poor figure. "If only the Troya spell worked on him… should I try again?" she asked. Lucy waved her hand. "No, it's better if you conserve energy. Besides, the Troya spell doesn't really do much, right?" Lucy laughed. "It just doesn't work on him anymore," Happy sighed. Natsu replied with something that sounded like, "Dunt reahmind meh." "Don't worry, just 6 more hours left," Gray smirked. Natsu, on the other hand, turned blue. "Nurt funnheh," he replied sickly. Lucy laughed again.

Gray shoved Natsu to his feet. "Dude, we're here." Natsu blinked a few times. "We're here?!" He murmured. "Yeah, we're here," Gray repeated.

"HALLELUJAH!" Natsu bolted out of the train. "URGH, bad idea!" He clutched his stomach, and hurled. Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, and the cats all reeled away from Natsu's remains of his snack in Lucy's apartment. "And _that_ is why Natsu should never eat before going on a vehicle," said Happy wisely.

After Natsu recovered, they all headed to the mountains of Fuyuki.

They all found a small village in the cold mountains. "You requested Fairy Tail's help for… a monster?" said Erza importantly. The master of the village nodded. " 'Tis not a regular monster, miss." The old man raised his head. "It is a monster from the books of Zeref himself."

Struck, the gang listened to the leader's story.

"The monster rose about a month ago, destroying village after village that we create. We possess a special magic- the magic to build anything, anywhere. But try as we might, this horrifying monster destroys every village that our people raise." Natsu butted in, "Guys, I'm not feeling so well," he injected in the petrifying story. "Hush, child!" scolded Carla. "Anyway…"

"We have been doing this for over a month now. Our village is running very low on magic energy, and we just don't have the people strong enough to battle this monster. We call on the best guild in Fiore to help us destroy this monster once and for all." Natsu grinned. "A monster? Sweet! Does it breathe fire?" he said hopefully. Lucy slapped his arm. "And just when I thought that your sickness could shut you up for once…" she said. Natsu gagged. "I'm going to hurl...!" He exclaimed as he ran into an alley to let it all out.

He entered the dark alleyway to see a figure inside. He threw up quickly to put up his fists. "Who are you?" His hands ignited. "I do not wish to harm you," said the stranger quietly. He seemed reluctant to put up his palms. "What do you want?" Natsu said dangerously. "I do not wish to gain anything, Natsu. I wish to give."

"How do you know my name?" Natsu clenched his fists. The stranger sighed. "I know many things about you, Natsu Dragneel. I know that you wish to be like your father, Igneel. I know that you wish to master the Dragon Force. I even know that you wish to earn one of your comrade's hearts."

Natsu glared straight into the cocky shadow. "No way!" Natsu blushed. "And who the hell do you think you are?" He growled.

The shadow shrugged its shoulders. "Natsu, I know many things about you. I also know how to increase your power." Natsu tensed. "What are you talking about?" He growled. "More questions, less answers. Natsu, there is no friendly way to say this." The shadow took shape.

Natsu startled and momentarily forgot to look fierce, angry, flame-headed, whatever they called him these days. " _Zeref?_ " "Why do you look so surprised, Natsu? I'm here to grant you power." Natsu re-ignited his flames. "Yeah? Well, I got a answer for _you_ this time, pal." He thrust his flaming hands in Zeref's face. "You mess with fire, _you get burned._ "

"Natsu, please. I do not wish to fight. I only wish to give you _power_ ," Zeref pleaded. Natsu snarled. "Yeah? Well tell me a good reason why I shouldn't punch you right here, and right now." Zeref raised his hands in peace. "Please, Natsu. I only want to grant you full control over Dragon Force. This monster that you and your friends are fighting is no ordinary monster. He is a monster-"

"From your own stupid book!" Natsu couldn't control it and he punched Zeref in the face, trying to wipe off his smug look.

Zeref received the blow without any means of self-protection. Strangely, he didn't get hurt at all. "Please, don't come close, Natsu. It is dangerous! I might kill you!" Natsu's face was inlined with rage. "Why would I stop? Why would I, after you took seven years of my friends' and my life!" He landed another blow on Zeref. "I assure you, I was not the one to awaken Acnologia," said Zeref calmly. Natsu let out a yell of frustration. "Why aren't you getting hurt! Why are you trying to make me hurt you!" he yelled as he kicked Zeref. Again, no injuries appeared.

"The seven years in Tenrou Island was not my doing," said Zeref. "It was all Hades'." Natsu growled. "I DON'T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT WHO DID WHAT, IT'S THAT YOU CAUSED SO MUCH TROUBLE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY!" He punched Zeref again, and to his surprise, Zeref stumbled. He grinned in trumphiance. "Family?" said Zeref quietly. Natsu glared at him. "Yeah! So why don't you go back and just make more monsters, eh?"

Zeref sighed. "I assure you, that was not what I meant to do, Natsu. I created those monsters because of my curse." "CURSE MY BUTT!" Natsu exclaimed. "Not literally though," he added. "Wait, curse?" He repeated.

"NATSU?!" Lucy's voice reached their ears. "LU-" Zeref clamped Natsu's mouth shut. "I'm sorry," Zeref's voice was the last thing he heard. Then, black.

Natsu caught glimpses of Zeref, and pain ricocheting through his body. "Oh no…" He heard the black wizard say. "The upgrade… It backfired! But how?" Natsu saw Zeref, and they locked eyes. Natsu failed to move, and Zeref's eyes widened in horror. Natsu made out something like this from Zeref, "his soul is corrupted…" and everything just went dark.

* * *

"NATSU!" Happy yowled. To Lucy's relief, Natsu awoke. "Ugh… Lucy? But… Zeref.. Demon.. Monster?" Lucy smiled through her tears. "Hey." She patted Natsu's cheek. "You're fine. We're all fine."

Natsu felt power coursing through his veins. Unbelievable power… like the power from the Etherion. _Dragon force,_ he thought. " _I only want to grant you full power over Dragon Force…"_ Natsu recalled these words from the great dark wizard Zeref.

"Full control…" He realized he said that aloud. Lucy's face contorted into confusion. "Huh?" Natsu hastily waved his hand. "Nah. Nevermind."

But this time, Natsu felt more than power through his mind, his body, his very being. He felt more than unfamiliar, unfathomable, undefeatable power in his very control. His need to protect his friends was gone.

Lucy laid her hand on his back. "Hey, Natsu, are you okay?" She asked, worried. "Be careful, Lucy," Erza said. "Something feels wrong…" she whispered into Lucy's ear. Lucy shook her head. "No, this is Natsu. Nothing can happen to him. Right, Natsu?"

Natsu looked up into Lucy's warm brown eyes she looked back. Then froze. "N-Natsu?" she stammered, leaning back. Erza and Wendy peered into Natsu's face, but the momentary sheen of red coating Natsu's warm black eyes were gone. "What's up? Um… What's wrong…?" Natsu asked. Lucy stared into Natsu's restored eyes. "Y-your e-eyes… they w-were…" Lucy stammered. Erza stared Lucy down. "What's wrong, Lucy?"

Lucy shrank back down. "Uh, nothing." Natsu stared at her suspiciously. "Yeah."

But the thing was…

The strong urge to protect his friends, the want to destroy anything that stood in the family of Fairy Tail…

The fact that they were a family at all…

Completely vanished.

* * *

 **Damn. Dramatic. Get ready for some massive turn of events next chapter, Fairy Tail members! So. Natsu being… we don't even know** _ **what**_ **he is at this point! A huge monster from the Books of Zeref, Zeref himself…**

 **All in all, this was one** _ **crazy**_ **chapter, and leave a review to see how far in the depths of crazy we're in!**

 **Peace from Magnolia,**

 **~HowAboutTeam :}**


	2. Chapter 2

**So! Natsu is evil, no one knows (but they're pretty suspicious), Zeref causes mayhem, and Natsu might destroy his allies once and for all**

 **lAll packed in a good chapter, don't ya think?**

 **This chapter: Natsu is continuing the charade that he is still good, Erza and Gray are suspicious, they find the monster, Lucy keeps her trust in Natsu (#NALU forever! 3) and…**

 **Yep, we're screwed for this chapter. Ah, well. Happy reading!**

 **Credits: Purrfectly Me :3, Joan Park :D**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own any of Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Erza still watched Natsu suspiciously. "Are you sure that you're good, Natsu?" said Happy concernedly. Natsu managed a grin. "Yep, I'm good." Erza cleared her throat. "Maybe you should get some rest, Natsu, I mean, all we found was you screaming in a empty alley, and this weird black mark on your guild mark! She pointed to Natsu's once-red Fairy Tail mark, now pitch-black.

"I'm fine, now c'mon, we got a monster to kill!" Natsu exclaimed. "Aye sir!" Happy said happily. "By the way, where's Gray? Did he go off to kill that thing? Shame. I wanted to fight him." Lucy and Erza stared at him. "Are you sure you're fine?" Natsu grinned. "Sure i'm sure! Come on, we need to fry that monster to pieces!"

Natsu knew that he was fooling everyone into thinking he was actually on their side. Was he? He thought. Of course you are! They're you're friends! The friends that you risked your butt for! He thought. What did they ever do for you? Negative thoughts clouded his mind. They were there for you when you needed them the most! He thought positively. You kill, not help. The last thought took him over. "I kill," he repeated. "What was that?" Carla turned around. "Nothing!" Natsu put on an innocent smile. "Alright then… Hurry up!"

Soon enough, they tracked down the monster. Erza pointed to a small, half-naked figure that was unmistakably Gray. "Yo!" he called down. "Come over here!"

Natsu's blood raged at the sight of Gray. He left you when he needed you the most. He made fun of you behind your back. He laughed at you, accused you, deserted you in the worst possible times!

Natsu managed to keep his thoughts in control. "Hey, Gray!" he called back, though somewhat forcibly. "You made it! Finally, I was thinking you were slacking off again."

Natsu's eye twitched.

Erza, keeping a keen eye on Natsu, eyes narrowed as she saw the momentary tick in Natsu's innocent face. "Hm."

Lucy laughed and ran up to Gray, hugging him. "Good! I was getting so worried, I thought that you, well, got caught by the monster!" Gray laughed and tousled Lucy's hair.

Inside, Natsu raged. My best friend… taken by that half-naked Gray! He crossed the line this time… she's mine!

Side note: Clearly Natsu isn't himself. :0

That did it. He charged at Gray, hands aflame.

Lucy backed up quick. "Natsu! What's wrong-" She was cut off by the sound of Natsu punching the life out of Gray.

Erza drew her sword as Gray fell to the ground, limp. Natsu's face was etched with rage, hands not even fazed by the powerful attack. Gray groaned and got up. "What the hell, man?" Gray made a fist with his right hand and laid it on top of his left. "Ice make...LANCE!" Glittering shards of ice appeared out of thin air, piercing Natsu and his flames.

They didn't even make a scratch.

"What the-" Gray had no time to even watch what Natsu did to him. "Fire dragon talons!" Natsu roared as he came advancing to Gray. He didn't even have a chance to yell out. The impact of Natsu's flaming talons flew Gray into the sky. In mid-air, he shouted, "ICE MAKE EAGLES!" Flying birds of prey made of pure ice cut the sky, and shot down on Natsu's furious flames. "GET OUTTA MY WAY!" He blasted the birds into thin air, then charged the limp Gray on the mountaintop. "Natsu, stop!" cried out Lucy. Natsu didn't.

"DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ART: EXPLODING FLAME!" A force powerful enough to blast apart a mountain landed on Gray.

"NO!" Before Lucy could act, Gray was snatched up by Erza, who was in her Flight Armor. Gray didn't look like he was in good shape.

Lucy ran up to Natsu. "NATSU, STOP!" She found herself sobbing. "Please stop!" The fire in Natsu's eyes eventually died out. "Yeah… sorry," he found himself saying. Lucy threw herself in his arms. "What happened to you, Natsu… why are you attacking your friends?"

Natsu's usual warm gaze hardened into something colder and sharper than ice. "Because Gray was never my friend. And he almost took you away from me." Lucy pushed herself out of Natsu's usual warm arms. "W-what are you talking about? Gray's family! We all are! Natsu, you're my favorite brother I never had!"

If this was supposed to cheer Natsu up, it only made him angrier. Favorite brother. Not more.

 **Natsu is now in the friend zone… :)**

He bared his teeth in a snarl without realizing it. Lucy stumbled back. "S-stop," she begged. "I can't… please stop," she said, before passing out.

Wordlessly, Natsu carried Lucy to Wendy, who was pale-faced and was with Gray, Erza, Happy, and Carla. "Here's Lucy."

He gently put her down before getting a tiny sob from Happy. "Why, Natsu? Gray was like… a brother to you," wavered Happy. Natsu forced himself to apologize. "I'm sorry, it's just… that spell caused me to go berserk over… something stupid," he forced himself to say. "Zeref caused me to go insane if anything made me, er, aggravated…"

Erza glared at him. "Well, you should step away from the fight if you get so aggressive," she said. Natsu felt a surge of anger at Erza. What does she think she is- a hotshot? The queen of the fairies means nothing. She makes me mad, I destroy her. "Destroy…" he mumbled. "What was that?" said Erza sharply. He snapped back up. "Er, nothing." "Wait, you mentioned Zeref!" Wendy exclaimed. She thought for a second, "What happened in that alleyway Natsu?" She asked him. Natsu hesitated. "Nothing important," he replied. "Now let's go find that monster and destroy it!" He added in hope of innocence. Natsu desperately wanted to use his new powers. Happy saluted him, though a bit reluctant. "A-aye, sir…"

They approached the monster.

No doubt about it- it was the monster from the Books of Zeref. Three grotesque heads, all facing different directions, one eye in each forehead, the mouth slimy, bloody, and filled with remains from its last meal, and- was that its nose?

The bottom half was filled with poisonous snakes for legs and was only covered by a loincloth.

 **Ew.**

Lucy gaped in shock. "Do we need to… do we need to fight that?" Natsu grinned at the monster, completely unafraid. "Yo! Do you mind if we destroy you? 'Cause Lucy's too chicken to even talk…"

Lucy glanced at him for a wavering moment. Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Alright, I'm gonna tear you to pieces!" Happy tapped his shoulder. "Uh, Natsu? I'm pretty sure it's 'I'm fired up now'..." Natsu glanced at him, surprised. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fired up now!" Lucy looked worried. "Are you sure you're okay…"

Natsu growled, startling Lucy and Erza. "I told you, I'm FINE! So now let's go roast that monster!"

Erza leapt into the air. "Requip!" She appeared in dazzling light, and was complete in beautiful silver armor. "Heaven's Wheel Armor!" She shouted. "Trinity Sword!" She yelled, and a long blade with swirls on its sides appeared, and Erza got in a ready stance. I need to find its weakness and use it to my advantage. Surely heaven's wheel armor was the right one to choose… She thought, judging by the monster's appearance.

Lucy, rummaged through her key pack, thinking about what key to use. Oh! How about… She pulled out a beautiful key. "Open, gate of the goat! Capricorn!" She made a cross with the key. "Hello, my lady," Capricorn greeted her.

Natsu ignited his new flames, and upon seeing the monster, the flames were black. "Hah, now I'm all fired up!" He shouted. Or is it ' I'm all fired up now'? Either way… time to test these powers!

Gray got his hands in the regular stance, right fist on top of left outstretched palm. Gray, my beloved! Gray kept thinking about Juvia. He sensed that she was close. But what the group didn't know was that Juvia was tagging along… The whole time.

Juvia, was behind a tree that was behind Gray. "Oh Gray…" She whispered. Gray whipped around, and caught a glimpse of blue hair. "Juvia?! What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm here for you, my love!" She replied fondly. Gray sighed. "Well, if you are here, at least help us. We might be able to do a unison raid," Gray said casually. Is my beloved asking for love? Juvia thought. "Anything for you!" She replied with a gushing grin."Ice-make… HAMMER!" Gray shouted, a huge hammer appearing above one of the monster's heads. It melted as the monster spewed black flames at it. "Crap!"

Erza charged and tried to slice off one of its heads. "AAAAAAAAAARGH!" she yelled as she hefted the Sword of Trinity on top of its head.

Meanwhile, Lucy was trying desperately to tie off another head with her enhanced whip. "Come on… come on, you stupid whip!" she yelled as she repeatedly tried and failed to rope it around the head. Capricorn punched at it, but one of the snake heads butted him down. "I sincerely apologize, my lady. I must be going now."

Wendy wasn't doing very well, either. "Sky dragon… ROOOAAAR!" She blasted the monster with everything she had, but the force of the usual powerful attack only made the demon stumble. Both Happy and Carla struggled to hold her. "Give it a rest, child!" said Carla desperately.

In all of that, Natsu merely gazed at the monster as it beat up the friends that he once cared so much about, the friends' lives he tried so hard to preserve, the friends that were his family.

But he just stood and stared at the majestic monster that he was supposed to destroy. "Destroy…" he murmured.

Lucy fell next to him, bruised and out of magic energy. "Natsu, please help!" she begged. "Why are you standing like this… why aren't you helping Gray and Erza!" she sobbed. Natsu glanced at her, and she reeled away.

The red eyes were back, coating the familiar and warm black that they always were. And for a moment, Lucy spotted the true horror that Zeref had installed in Natsu in that dark alleyway. She saw black magic in him.

"Natsu…"

And for a fleeting moment, Natsu felt the familiar urge to protect his dear friends from the horrifying monster. His eyes returned to black, and they flickered between coal and scarlet. The sight of Lucy crying was enough to shove the old Natsu in him.

But then he felt nothing once more.

The monster hit first. It swiped its snakey arm away from Erza's sword, knocking her to the ground. Gray kept on trying to attack it, but his ice spells were nowhere near the match of the fire-breathing demon.

Lucy lay sobbing on the floor, Erza, Gray, and Wendy crumpled on the ground, trembling with fear. "This is… the monster Khepri from the Books of Zeref! It installs fear and the only thing that can have a chance to defeat it is a-"

"Fire dragon slayer!" yelled Happy. Natsu tried to look brave. "Here I go."

He charged at Khepri, hands inflamed with black fire, all while thinking: I'm sorry.

He hit it with force enough to kill ten men. "DRAGON FORCE: IRON FIST!"

But as Natsu hit it, his head split. W-what's happening to me… my head's about to explode… I hit it, right? I did my part, right? So why am I dissolving…

From his friends point of view, Natsu was dissolving before their very eyes. "NATSU!" Lucy screamed. Only the combined force of Gray and Erza held her back. "NATSU! STOP! YOU'LL GET KILLED!" She relentlessly fought against Gray and Erza, both faces streaming with tears. "STOP!"

Natsu felt excruciating pain as he merged with Khepri. It's a takeover, he realized, before he was consumed and everything went black.

Lucy stared in shock as Khepri's bruises, cuts and injuries all healed. "But how…"

"No. No, it can't be." Erza stared at the immense power. "Khepri merged with Natsu! Wendy, Carla, Happy, Lucy, everyone, protect yourselves! Carla, Happy, inform the guild; one of our most powerful wizards have been overcome with a takeover!" Erza shouted.

"Aye, sir- ma'am!" Happy replied.

Khepri roared with such immense force that shook the ground. Deep inside Khepri's mind, was Natsu. And the other Natsu.

So Good Natsu, and Bad Natsu. Simple.

Black crystals surrounded the two.

"What the hell?!" Good Natsu scream/thought.

"Cool! We merged with Khepri!" Bad Natsu said.

"AWESOME!"

"Wait, why?" Good Natsu asked.

"Welp, we're both related with Zeref, right?" Bad Natsu replied. "Or it's because we touched him, causing a takeover," Bad Natsu added.

"Huh," Good Natsu said. "So now what?"

"I dunno."

"Wait."

"What?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm… You?"

"What?"

"I'm you."

"That makes no sense whatsoever!"

"Maybe your puny mind just can't understand it."

"Hey!"

Good Natsu looked around. "So." "So." Bad Natsu replied. "Is it just me or is it getting stuffy in here," Good Natsu said. "Huh, I dunno," bad Natsu said, pointing at the walls closing in on them. "I totally don't know," he said sarcastically. "Not like the walls are closing in or anything!" Natsu replied, "Oh. Well you sir, are very bad at being sarcastic!" He shouted in defense. "Can we just get out of here?" Bad Natsu rolled his eyes. "How, is the question," Good Natsu said. "Don't try to act smart," Bad Natsu put on a smug look. Good Natsu grumbled. "Wait! I got an idea!" He said, brightening. "Cool. What is it?" Bad Natsu asked. "Since body takeovers are usually used to merge us, and use our power, then what if we RUN OUT of power!" Good Natsu smiled. "Stupid," Bad Natsu said. We need to find a way out of here. Master Zeref made me to fight E.N.D. I mean, Natsu. The sooner to get out of here, the sooner to kill him. Bad Natsu thought.

Meanwhile, Good Natsu thought. How would we get our power out … We'd kill ourselves! But I've risked my life plenty of times for my friends. I can do this! Agh, I wish Erza was here. She's good at this stuff.

 **Is it just me, or is Good Natsu stupider than Bad Natsu? :L Maybe Good Natsu is just being funny…?**

"AHH!"

Both Natsus looked up. All of their friends, they were screaming, dying, or protecting. There was the usual crew, Juvia, Gajeel, Levi, Fried, Bixlow, Elfman, and everyone else.

"IRON DRAGON ROOOOOAR!"

"SKY DRAGON ROOOOOOAR!"

"SOLID SCRIPT: WATER!"

"ATTACK RUNES!"

"WATER JET!"

"HEAVEN'S SWORD WHEEL!"

"ICE MAKE-EAGLE!"

Everyone, at the same time, attacked Khepri. But Khepri roared something that sounded like, "FIRE DRAGON, DEMOLISHED FLAME ROAR!"

"HEY! That's my attack!" Natsu cried. Bad Natsu drifted away from good Natsu, leaning against a closing wall. "Grr… Now I've got a fire in my belly!" Good Natsu shouted. "FIRE DRAGON, ROAR!" A large spout of fire blew out of his mouth, but then he coughed. "Don't use too much power. You'll hurt yourself and give Khepri all your power. " Bad Natsu said.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Good Natsu raged. "I'll this roast thing to crisps if I have to! Those are my friends outside. The friends that I need to keep alive! I'll do whatever it takes to protect them, and no weirdo will stop me!" Good Natsu took a chunk of the weird crystals surrounding them. He ate it. Silver, Black, Red, Gold, Blue, all different flames- swirled around Natsu.

Bad Natsu was taken aback. "Wait!" He shouted.

"FIRE DRAGON… ROAR!"

* * *

 **Yeeeeee! Cliffhanger! Unfortunately, it's gonna take probably a week to finish the next chapter. :/. Sorry guys! And, please comment if you liked the side notes; :3**

 **Meow!**

 **~HowAboutTeam {H.A.T}**


	3. Chapter 3

**AANNDD We're back! YAY! So a** _ **lot**_ **of drama in the last chapter, and it all ended with Natsu…**

 **Eating his problems. As usual. x-x**

 **And it all ended with Good Natsu roaring fire dragon roar at Khepri's disgusting inside. Gross and amazing at the same time, right? So, this chapter, every Fairy Tail fan is gonna get serious deja-vu, because Natsu's gonna fight… Natsu. Does that make sense? Let's get it on!**

 _ **Credits: Joan Park :D, Purrfectly Me :3, and last but not least, Hiro Mashima :).**_

 **Disclaimer: We don't own anything in Fairy Tail.**

* * *

"FIRE DRAGON… ROOOOAAAAR!"

Natsu managed to blast his way out of Khepri's main head, exploding the entire monster at it. Fairy Tail stared as Natsu flew out of the monster, covered in slime, eyes as black is the deepest coal and Fairy Tail emblem scorching red.

Lucy ran up to him. "NATSU!" she cried, running up to him. "WE WERE SO WORRIED… WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD… _I_ THOUGHT YOU… thought you.." She couldn't express her horror into words as Natsu awkwardly patted her shoulder. "Hey," he said, holding Lucy. "I'm fine. We're good. The monster left," he said, smiling wide. Gray ran up to him, and punched him on the arm.

"Ow!" complained Natsu, rubbing the spot. Gray laughed. "Yep, it's you all right," he said. Natsu frowned. "Yeah, the evil me was a jerk." Gray mock-glared at him. "You owe me a day's worth of injuries, that evil you sure beat me up," he complained. Natsu grinned. "Nah, it was all me."

Erza hugged Natsu tight. "It is a relief to have you back," she announced as Natsu groaned inside of her hug. "Ribs," he squeaked.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're back," smiled Wendy. Happy tackled Natsu. "Natsu! I thought I was never gonna see the old you again!" He cried, small eyes swimming with tears. He rubbed Happy's head. "I'm fine, little buddy. See? Evil me all gone!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Everyone froze at the sound of Natsu's unfamiliarly vicious voice. He emerged out of the shadows of the defeated monster. His eyes were blood red, his hair black, and emblem curdling dark. "You may have destroyed my brethren," he snarled, hands full of black flames. "But you will never destroy me!"

Natsu tried to stand, but crumpled almost immediately. "Stop… him," he grunted as Wendy rushed to his aid.

Gajeel cracked his knuckles. "So you're the punk that took over Salamander, eh?" He raised his head, and every bit of him showed that he wanted Evil Natsu to pay. "Here's a good lesson- you mess with Salamander, you mess with Fairy Tail."

He roared and attacked- literally. "IRON DRAGON- ROOOOAAAAR!" A blast of shrapnel and pure power raged towards Evil Natsu. He did nothing.

The roar hit.

"AHA, THAT'S HOW YOU PROPERLY GET RID OF… oh crap." Bad Natsu remained standing in the exact spot, covered head to toe in shrapnel. He didn't seem to care. Behind them, Natsu winced as cuts magically appeared on his body.

"You're stupid and weak." He flickered with intense energy. Erza shielded her eyes. "That power… it's just like the Etherion!" Evil Natsu glared at Gajeel, flames literally in his eyes. "You're gonna want to cry after what I've done to you!" He roared, advancing on Gajeel. For the first time, Gajeel looked… scared. "DRAGON FORCE!" Evil Natsu bellowed, and his body flickered even more scarlet. "DRAGON FORCE: EMBER CYCLONE!" He literally blasted Gajeel out of his shoes as he completely burned Gajeel head-to-toe.

"I am something you can not defeat, unless you choose to kill your dear friend, Natsu. Master Zeref made me from the leftover parts from E.N.D." Bad Natsu explained. "What's E.N.D. Stand for?" Happy asked. "Etherious Natsu Dragneel," Bad Natsu replied. Natsu's face turned mushed up. "What the..." He said. "What is that?"

"You. You are E.N.D.," replied Evil Natsu. "Well. I guess we'll have to kill each other," Natsu said. "Are you stupid?!" Evil Natsu gawked. "What'd do?" Natsu replied. Evil Natsu put his hand on his face. Natsu rolled up his sleeves. "I don't care if I have to die to get rid of you. Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" he shouted, as he punched Evil Natsu in the stomach. Evil Natsu stumbled back, as Natsu did the same. They both had identical marks on their stomachs. Lucy was crying. "Please, stop!" she begged Natsu. The side of his mouth was bloody. "I can't," he said apologetically. Lucy began sobbing. "Please.. we just got you back…"

Evil Natsu snarled. "It's bad enough that we get the same injuries. Don't you give us any trouble!" he yelled. Evil Natsu began to glow. "I'm different from you, and I'm gonna make it that way!"

The next they saw, there was a fair girl with a long purple coat, a black emblem, and tied-up pink hair.

Everyone gawked. It was… a girl Natsu?

"Uh… was that really necessary?" Natsu said awkwardly. Girl Natsu flipped his- her- hair. "Don't worry." She had a silvery voice that injected venom in every syllable. "You'll be gone before you know it."

"Um… so are you still… Natsu?" Gray said. She snarled. "Of course not, you dolt! I don't like being _anything_ like that idiot. I am my own person!"

Erza shook her head. "And yet she is still exactly like him…"

"Forget this crap!" She leaped into the air and landed hard on Natsu. Both of them winced. "Fire dragon… I-Iron fist!" she choked out as she punched Natsu's face. Immediately, both of them howled. _If pain is what it takes to fulfill the reason why Master Zeref has given me the gift of life, then so be it._ Wendy stepped forward, unsure whether or not she should heal Natsu.

"Do it, child!"

Carla stood with Happy and Pantherlily on the sidelines. "Only pain comes from both of them! Heal Natsu as many times as you can to save him and kill his evil side!" Wendy nodded.

She ran up to Natsu, who was laying on the floor. Girl Natsu was doing the same. Wendy immediately healed Natsu of all of his injuries. "Go and hit her as hard as you can, Natsu!" she whispered.

Natsu nodded, filled once again with strength. Unsteadily, he got up and reluctantly drew in a breath. "F-fire dragon… ROAR!" He managed a powerful blast of fire towards Girl Natsu's body.

She wasn't affected. "Thanks for the meal," she groaned, and sucked in all of Good Natsu's flames. Immediately, Natsu felt extremely sick. Girl Natsu wiped her mouth. "I ate my own fire to make both of us sick," she managed before crumpling. She smiled a bloody smile. "Here!" Levy crossed her fingers, "Solid Script: Fire!" Natsu took the flames. "Thanks… Now I got a fire in my belly!"

Girl Natsu snarled. "If I die knowing that I didn't take you out with me, Master Zeref won't stand it!" She pointed a hand at Wendy, who was busy curing Natsu of his other wounds. "Dragon force: enhanced flames!" She targeted Levy and Wendy. "AAAAGH!" Both girls crumpled to the floor, steaming and unconscious. "NO!"

Carla trotted over to Wendy. "Child, wake up! Natsu needs you!"

"Shrimp!" Gajeel ran over to unconscious Levy.

Girl Natsu managed a weak grin. "Now there's no one to save you."

Natsu stared in shock. "You… you hurt them," he said, voice shaking. Girl Natsu smirked. "Yeah. You noticed?" Natsu raised his head to her, eyes practically glowing with rage. "You hurt them when they did nothing wrong. You made Lucy cry!" He pointed a shaking finger to Lucy, who lay crumpled and sobbing on the floor.

Natsu suddenly turned quiet. A shadow covered his face. "You hurt my friends," he said aloud. He looked up with fierce eyes. "That is unforgivable. I'm giving you one last chance to run for your life," Natsu looked straight into Girl Natsu's scarlet eyes. She faltered. "I'm not b-backing down!" She shouted in reply. Natsu's hands ignited, and he let out a roar that shook the ground. Girl Natsu stumbled, and fell. "FIRE DRAGON'S, BRILLIANT FLAME!" Natsu roared. Fireballs shot Girl Natsu, over and over. "I'm not done yet! CRIMSON FIRE DRAGON'S FIST!" he punched Girl Natsu with a series of attacks, wincing every time.

"Thats gotta hurt," said Gray. "If that ever happened to you, my love, I would save you," Juvia cried aloud. "Yeah… okay," replied Gray.

 _ **Happy's Note: "But… Remember those crystals Natsu ate? Don't forget those!"**_

 _ **Lily's Note: "Wait- Natsu ate crystals? What's that supposed to mean?!"**_

 _ **Carla's Note: "Back to reality, boys!"**_

Though every time that Natsu landed a hit, he didn't seem all that affected. "It's those crystals that Natsu ate," Lucy realized. She mustered up her strength. "Natsu! Keep going! They're not affecting you as much because you ate those extra-industrial crystals!" Natsu nodded, forehead beaded with sweat. "Wasn't gonna stop anyway," he muttered.

 **Happy's Note: "Told you so."**

Evil Natsu stumbled back, aura flickering from girl to boy. "W-wait… you can't survive without me! Without me in you, you won't see the original Natsu anymore!" she/he shouted desperately. "I'll do anything to save my friends! Even if it costs my life! Fairy Tail is my family, the meaning of why I'm alive now. I'll do anything to protect it! And if you got a problem with that, then too bad! My family, my guild, Fairy Tail, they will live no matter what! FIRE DRAGON SECRET ART: EXPLODING FLAME!" He blasted Evil Natsu with so much force that she went flying into the air.

 _So this is the power Master Zeref told me about. Love is more powerful than any magic._ "I'm glad I was able to be you," Evil Natsu croaked. She then collapsed. Natsu began to shimmer.

"Natsu? Natsu!" Lucy ran up to him. Natsu gave her a weak grin. "Hey," he said. Lucy grabbed him. "No, no, no, no, no. You're _not_ dying on me! Please! You can't!" she begged, tears once again sliding down her already wet cheeks. Natsu grinned faintly. "Look. We've had really good times together, Lucy. Make some more for me, would you?"

Lucy stared at him. "No. You're not. You can still live!

You can still merge with Evil You!" she begged. Natsu shook his head. "No. I can't live with the fact that I did that to all those people."

Lucy's eyes dilated. "NO! NATSU! Please, if you so wish to make us enjoy life, the answer isn't dying! You're not going to make things better! It's you living that keeps the guild alive. Please, don't leave." Natsu shook his head.

"NATSU! You stupid bastard! Don't you die on me," Gray shouted. "Don't you dare," warned Erza, sword out of her hilt. "You do, and I'll find your ghost and punch it, manly-style!" yelled Elfman. Gajeel glared at him. "You die on us and you'll regret it for the rest of your damned afterlife, Salamander!" he threatened. "WE WON'T FORGIVE YOU!" Lisanna screamed.

Master Makarov stayed silent. "Natsu, before you leave Fairy Tail, you must swear to three things. You must never reveal sensitive information about this guild. You must never use your former contacts for personal gain. Though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might, you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends for as long as you live."

"What are you talking about, old man! Natsu isn't gonna die on us yet!" Gray shouted.

Natsu was barely visible now. "NO!" Lucy sobbed.

"Lucy, I…"

Those were the last words of Natsu's mouth as he vanished completely.

"NO!" Lucy lay, sobbing, at the exact place where Natsu had vanished. A dead silence entered the guild as Lucy lay, in the middle of their circle. Girl Natsu was nowhere to be found either.

"Hey! Why are you guys all crying? Turn off the waterworks!" A pink-haired person with a scaly scarf walked out into the middle of the circle. He chuckled.

"NATSU!" Everyone shouted.

"Yea. What's wrong?" He asked innocently. He smiled wide.

 **Reactions**

 **Erza- Whacks** _ **Natsu's Note:**_ " **THAT HURT!"**

 **Gray- Punches**

 **Lucy- Screams**

 **Happy- hugs (then faints)**

 **Lily- Grins**

 **Gajeel- grins**

 **Carla- holds Wendy up while crying**

 **Wendy- cries**

 **Juvia- blinks**

 **Master- blinks**

 **Elfman- cries- like a man**

 **Evergreen- stares (with glasses)**

 **Lisanna- screams**

 **Cana- drinks**

 **Girl Natsu- smiles**

 **Wait what?**

"And this is Katsu," Natsu moved aside with a grin. A cute girl in a little black skirt with a white scale necklace waved her hand. She winked with one of her warm brown eyes. Then flipped her pale pink hair. "Hi!" She smiled. Lucy made a weird face, then flipped her blond hair. She locked her arm with Natsu. "Uhm…" Natsu blinked. He slid out of the lock. "Uh, ok," he grinned. "They looove Natsu," said Happy, tauntingly. "NO!" The girls said with a blush. "HAPPY!" Natsu grumbled. "You still owe me one heck of a day of injuries! Gray shouted, charging into Natsu.

The rest of the guild laughed, and later down on the deserted ground. Carla, Lily, and Happy poked around the remains of the monster.

"Guys… You won't believe this…" The threesome said. "What?" Natsu answered. Fairy Tail started gathering around Khepri.

"What the…"

* * *

 **Bam. Purrfectly Me is on a cliffhanger roll! Just saying, this story is FAR from over. ;P We're perfectly sure that no matter what, SOMETHING interesting will happen that will make you all laugh. Heheh. Guess we finished this chapter early :P**

 **Anyway, see you guys next chapter! Leave a review!**

 **Peace from Magnolia,**

 **~HowAboutTeam :}**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay! We end with another cliffhanger, all bragging rights go to Purrfectly Me. :P**

 _ **Thanks for the mention. :3**_

 **And as we promised, this story is** _ **really**_ **far from over. In fact, this series is far from over as well! So yeah. Get ready for a whole load more of intense reading!**

 **This chapter, there's something wrong with Khepri's remains. What happens next? :0**

 _ **Credits: Purrfectly Me :3, Joan Park :D, and Hiro Mashima :DDD**_

 **Disclaimer: We don't own any of the awesome Fairy Tail guild or members. :)**

* * *

"What the…" The guild members stared at the note left in the remains.

Levy picked it up. "It's in ancient runes," she announced. She began to read from it.

 _Fairy Tail:_

 _We are after you. You do not know who we are. This monster Khepri is the only beginning. We give you a small break before your destruction. Remember that we are watching you._

 _~E. S._

All of the guild members exchanged grave looks. "What… so Khepri was just a… plaything?" said Evergreen incredulously. Lucy glared at the note in Levy's hand. "Natsu dying was just a… game for them?!" she yelled. Cana drunk another vat of wine.

"Silence!"

A giant hand hovered over Fairy Tail, threatening to crush them. "They wish to mess with Fairy Tail?" roared Master Makarov. He had a steely look in his eye. "Let them come. Let them realize that Fairy Tail isn't something that should be thrown around! Let them know that we are the strongest of the strong!"

Natsu cheered. "Yeah! Who cares if they possessed my mind? Who cares if they almost killed me-" "Shut up," muttered about a dozen different voices. Natsu grinned wide. "Yeah. But hey, it all turned out good, and we got a new member too!" Katsu blushed. "Yeah." Lucy glared at her.

Warren cleared his throat. "So, uh… can we go back to the guild now?"

* * *

When they finally arrived, Natsu extremely train-sick, they hosted a meeting. "Since the E.S. guild is watching out for us and could attack us at any second, we need to set up defenses," said Levy. She absently drew in the air with a air pen. "Freed and I set up magical defenses that are impossible to penetrate unless they've got an excellent runemaster, which are really rare these days. The only ones who can penetrate these defenses are me and the Thunder Legion."

Natsu complained. "Since when the stupid Thunder Legion gets to know how to get through the cool defenses?" Laxus shot him a piercing glare. "It's because Freed is our _friend,_ you idiot," he said. Lucy raised a hand. "Uh, and me too," she squeaked. Levy smiled. "Yep, only me, Lu, and the Thunder Legion." Master Makarov cleared his throat.

"Defenses through magical runes aren't enough, by the looks of this E.S. guild," Makarov continued. "We need other defenses as well."

"Warren, you will stay here and will take no jobs. Any money that you will need will be given to you straight from the guild.

Reedus, you will stay alert for Warren's signal. When you do, try to draw yourself a portal through your picture magic to conjure up powerful defenses. Don't try to hold back," he advised.

"As for the others, never go on solo quests without a team made up of at least five. For those teams without enough members, you will have to combine with another. Never go anywhere alone, whether it is to your home or in an alleyway to throw up," he said, looking hard at Natsu. He shrugged.

"If you follow all that, Warren is going to send a signal to all of you that Fairy Tail is being attacked. All of you will immediately going to stop whatever you are doing, whether it is drinking, going home, or on a job. You _must_ come straight to Fairy Tail. Got it?" He said. They all nodded.

Katsu cleared her throat. "Um…"

Everyone's heads turned to her. "Yeah, so… uh, I have memory-make magic," she said. She looked a little more confident. "My magic can create anything from the top of my head, to attack with equal and if possible, more _brutal_ force. I can certainly create a barrier that is impenetrable from anyone that doesn't bear the Fairy Tail emblem," she volunteered.

Silence awaited them.

Master Makarov smiled. "Thank you, Katsu," he said, gesturing to Mira to stamp on the emblem on her arm. "By the way, how is it that you look exactly like Natsu?" Lucy asked, hoping to hit a soft spot. She did.

Katsu tensed. "Well, uh… Natsu found me and he dressed me up like this. I didn't have any memory of anything except, well, my memory-make magic. He named me Katsu."

All of the heads turned to Katsu immediately turned to Natsu. "Uh, yeah," he admitted. "I promise I didn't look." He grinned and scratched his head. "But hey, if you want a different name, you can most certainly have one," he added.

Katsu tapped her chin. "Uh… what about Kinara?" she suggested timidly. Natsu nodded. Lucy glared.

Katsu- now Kinara- smiled. "Good!"

Master Makarov nodded, then went straight back to business. "Kinara, that also means that you must be one of our first-line fighters. If what you say is true, you are extremely powerful, perhaps even more powerful than Laxus."

Laxus scowled, matching Lucy's perfectly.

Master continued. "As I said before, there will be different lines of defense. Kinara, Laxus, Erza, Mira, and Gildarts- you five will be our first line of attack. Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, Gray, Lucy, and Juvia will be second line of defense."

Now was it just Lucy's imagination, or did Kinara smirk in her direction?

"Third line of defense will be the Shadowgear team, Cana, and Osprey Squad. Fourth is Elfman, Macao, Laki, Max, and Romeo. That will be all."

"Hey Gramps, did ya get all that from Master Mavis?" Laxus yelled out.

Gramps nodded. "Unfortunately, she could not appear here today. Please make sure that you got all of what she had said, and take jobs very carefully. You might never know when the job might be an ambush."

And on that happy note, the meeting broke up.

Natsu walked Lucy home. "Hey, if we're not allowed to stay alone, doesn't that mean I can stay at your house for a while?" he said cheekily. Lucy rolled her eyes. "Fine, I guess. But don't you _dare_ take my bed!"

"Aye, sir!" piped up Happy. "Shut it, cat."

* * *

Turned out, Lucy didn't have to worry about Natsu taking her bed at all.

Erza was crashed on her comfy bed, Gray lay on the couch, shirt off. Wendy and Carla occupied the smaller couch, the small girl cozied up to her best friend. Natsu and Happy stared with mouths open. "Why'd they take our spot!" Natsu yowled. Lucy rubbed her head. "After that long explanation, I just want to sleep…"

Lucy ended up sharing the floor with Happy and Natsu. Well, Happy not so much. He was sleeping at the arm of the couch that Gray was currently occupying.

Lucy stayed a full three yards away from Natsu, facing the other way. Natsu did the same.

"Can you give me the blanket? Geez, you're so big."

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"

"Shut up! You're gonna wake them!"

"You can produce _flames_ , Mr. Smarty Mouth. So just keep yourself warm and be done with it!"

They argued their way to next morning.

When Erza, Gray, Wendy, Carla, and Happy woke up, Lucy and Natsu were even farther away than they started with. "What happened to you two?" gawked Gray as Lucy came up with a hairdo that would scare away crows. Natsu raised his head.

Erza leaned away from him. "Wendy, are you seeing this?"

Natsu had really dark circles, hair even more messed up than usual. "It's youuuur fault that I got c-c-cold," slurred Natsu. Lucy glared sleepily in Gray's direction, apparently not aware that she was glaring the wrong way. "Well, I never asked _you_ to stay here!" Lucy slurred, pointing at Gray's bare chest. "Uh…" He moved the finger to Natsu's head. "Aha! You can't stop me…" Lucy slumped on Natsu's shoulder, and Natsu landed on Lucy's limp head.

Erza snorted out a laugh. "Well, there's one way to push things forward," she commented. Wendy clasped her hands. "Isn't it so _cute?_ " she cooed to Carla, who merely sniffed. Happy looked delighted. "They loooove each other.."

By the time that Natsu and Lucy woke up, breakfast was long gone and lunch was starting.

"Wha- WHY IS HE IN MY BED?" squawked Lucy, pointing at Natsu, who was in her bed. Lucy, on the other hand, was on the couch. "Food?" sniffed Natsu.

Lucy stormed up to him and slapped him on the arm. "Ow!" complained Natsu. "What was that for?" Lucy steamed. "You went in my bed when I _specifically_ told you _not_ to!" she fumed. She turned to Gray and Erza. "And I can't believe that you put him in MY own bed!" she yelled. Gray put up his hands to freeze Lucy's mouth. "Relax, Lucy. We just messed up a bit. Want some lunch?" he offered.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Natsu went up to Gray's offered food, took it, and shoveled it all in his mouth. "Did you do all of this?" Natsu mumbled. Gray shook his head. "Nope, it was the girls."

Wendy and Erza waved, and another head popped up. Lucy almost spat out a glass of water.

It was Kinara.

"Why's there another person in MY house and why was I not informed of it?" Lucy said dangerously calmly. "Well, I had nowhere to go, and, uh… I followed you here?" she said meekly. Lucy exhaled. "Fine. Whatever. You can stay, as long as you don't do anything that any of my friends did to me," she muttered as she went to get a glass of milk.

Kinara beamed. "Thanks!" She immediately sidled up to Natsu, who was finally done with shoveling food in his mouth. "Hi," she said shyly. Natsu glanced at her. "Oh, hi. Was Katsu not good?" He said innocently. Kinara shrugged. "It sounded too much like you," she said. Natsu chuckled.

Lucy felt a tick coming out.

"So! Since lunch is finished, let's go to the guild hall to say hi to our friends! And also to train for defenses!" she gritted. Wendy clapped her hands. "Oh, yeah! I need to test this one spell out- Erza, can you try fighting me?" she asked. Erza nodded. "I'll try to go easy on you."

Happy shyly turned to Carla. "Carla, want to train flying fast with me?" he said quietly, ready for rejection. "All right," she said reluctantly. Happy perked up. "Really?" "You heard me, tomcat," she sniffed.

"Well, in that case, I'll go train with-" Natsu was cut off by Kinara. "Me," she interrupted. Lucy glared at her. She raised an eyebrow.

"What? I can duplicate the ice magic that Gray does, and expand it tenfold to make it harder for you!" she said to Natsu. Gray patted her shoulder. "Nah, I'll just deal with Mr. Hot Guy. You can help with others train," he advised Kinara. She looked crestfallen. "Okay, if you say so…"

Lucy perked up. "So I'll train with Capricorn or Loke!"

Natsu nodded, still a bit unsure. Gray bumped his shoulder. "Ya nervous?" Natsu shook his head. "Nah, it's just that Lucy's acting weird lately." Gray chuckled. "You're in for a load of fighting, and I don't mean with flame and fire," he said wisely.

When they arrived at the training fields, they realized they were a tad too late. Levy and Freed were practicing rune magic, Gajeel and Lily were fighting as hard as they did in Edolas, Lisanna was fighting hard against her big brother, manly-style.

"Aww, we're late," groaned Natsu.

"It's okay, we still have that space," Lucy pointed to a pretty big clear space in the very back. Kinara beamed. "Great job, Lucy!" Lucy smiled uncertainly. "Uh, thanks."

First up was Wendy and Erza. "I sure do hope she pulls through," muttered Gray. "Nah, she's fine," said Natsu cheerily. He was chomping on a bag of chips.

Wendy smiled. "Okay Erza, I'm going to go as hard as I can, okay?" Erza grinned back. "That's the spirit!"

Wendy began sucking in air. "Wind cyclone… PARTICLE GUST!" she cried as she blew a powerful gust of wind towards Erza. Erza stumbled as her sword disappeared into nothingness. "What-"

Then Erza herself disappeared. Wendy grinned triumphantly. "Yes!"

Lucy searched around for Erza. "Where's Erza?" Wendy pointed in nothing in particular. "She's in the air, blown away from my particle gust. All I have to do is roar, and she'll be back to normal."

Wendy mustered up her attack. "Sky dragon… ROAAAR!" She blew a gust of wind as far away as she could, and Erza appeared, shaken but unharmed. "Cool!" Natsu commented.

Erza nodded. "Wendy, that was incredible. What _was_ that?" Wendy grinned. "It was my particle gust. Another one of the sky dragon secret arts. I discovered it while battling Khepri."

Erza nodded importantly. "I approve. But don't use all your magic power, we need you as our medic to heal all of the others during the coming battle."

Natsu grinned as he approached Gray. "You versus me?" Gray said, fist already on top of his palm. "Yep, and it'll be just like the old days," he assured.

Gray smiled. "Good. 'Cause I ain't goin' easy on you."

"Ice make- geyser!" A huge geyser of ice sped towards Natsu. He closed his eyes and said, "Tch."

"Hey, what the heck was _that_ for?" yelled Gray indignantly. Natsu rolled his eyes. "Please. You were using that against me when we were twelve. Fire dragon secret art: EXPLODING FLAME!" He chopped up the geyser into a mirage of shimmering air.

Gray gritted his teeth.

"Go, Natsu!" Lucy called, then switched off to Gray. "Go, Gray!"

"Just pick a side already!" cried Happy, pumping his tiny fist. "Go…. NATSU!"

"Well, I'm over here to cheer my darling Gray on whenever and wherever he is," cooed Juvia, who was suddenly right next to them.

"Uh… sure?" said Kinara uncertainly, who was waving her own white scarf in the sky. She had gotten rid of the scales on it.

"Fight as hard as you can!" encouraged Erza, who was dressed in her usual armor once again.

Wendy smiled. "Should I heal you?"

Gray scowled. "Deflect _this!_ Ice make… seven slice dance!" He charged at Natsu, arms full of sharp ice.

Natsu couldn't defend in time. "AAARGH," he yelled out as he got hit (seven times) of Gray's sharp blades.

Natsu was cut and bruised. "Ow," he complained.

Gray smirked. "Deflect that, eh?" Natsu grinned. "Oh, I will. FIRE DRAGON GRIP STRIKE!" he roared, striking now _Gray_ with his own power as Gray stumbled and fell. "OW!" Gray yelled even louder. Natsu smiled. "How's that, huh?"

Gray wiped his mouth and got up. "Not bad. But I'll do better!"

"Give it up already! Everyone knows that fire always overpowers ice!" Natsu taunted. Gray stood exactly where he was.

"Giving up?" Natsu yelled gleefully. Gray closed his eyes. Then they shot open.

"ICE MAKE FLOOR!" He pounded his fists on the dirt floor. Natsu slipped, and was sliding across the ground. "Does this count as a vehicle?!" He shouted. "Yeah, I guess it does," Gray smirked. Natsu's face bloated up, then he hurled.

"And GRAY wins by a ice slide!" Happy announced. "WAIT WAIT I'M NOT DONE YET!" Natsu complained. "And GRAY wins by _default_!" Happy re-announced. Natsu sighed, then threw up. "Should I heal him?" Wendy laughed.

Lucy pulled out Capricorn's key. "Hold on a second Lucy," Natsu laid his hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Why don't you train with Kats-Kinara?" He said with a cheeky smile. "Fine…" Lucy said reluctantly. Kinara strided over to the two. She glanced at Lucy and set her eyes on Natsu. "Are any of you guys available for training?" She asked. "Lucy wants to be your partner," Natsu smiled. The girls walked onto the training grounds.

"Alright then, Lucy. Should I go easy on your fragile body?" Kinara smirked. Lucy gritted her teeth. "Go as hard as you want. I'm just worried you'll get a sunburn on your delicate skin," Lucy replied. Kinara scoffed. "Ok, Lucy, Kinara, let the fighting begin!" Happy announced.

"Open, gate of the scorpion, Scorpio!" Lucy shouted. "Can we just get this over with? I'm too sleepy since I stayed up all night," Scorpio moaned. "IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Lucy scolded.

"Now get moving!" She commanded. Scorpio shot three bullets out of his cannon tail. "Is that all you got?" Kinara shouted, "FIRE DRAGON, ROAR!" Fire shot out of her mouth, and burned Scorpio. "Agh! See you later Lucy!" He yelled, and closed the gate. "OH COME ON!" Lucy complained. Natsu, on the other hand, shouted, "WHAT THE HELL? KAT- KINARA, YOU DON'T COPY ME! I COPY ME! I AM THE ONLY FIRE DRAGON SLAYER HERE!"

"Stop making that mistake!" Gray shouted. "It's KINARA not KATSU!" Natsu scoffed. "Katsu's a better name." "ITS KINARA!" Half the people on the training grounds shouted.

Lucy started to sweat. "What is this girl?" she wondered.

Gray shouted at her. "IT'S NOT ILLEGAL, I FACED IT BEFORE! I only defeated it with my ice-make, but without it, your attacks are completely useless!"

Lucy gritted her teeth. "Well, I'm about to make them count."

She called on Aquarius and Leo. "Open, gate of the water bearer! Open, gate of the Lion!" Two celestial spirits appeared. "YOU CAN'T MEMORIZE TWO SPELLS AT ONCE!" she yelled.

Kinara raised an eyebrow. "Impressive."

Leo walked up to her. "Hey, girl, you new here? I'm Loke, one of Fairy Tail. Ah, if you're free tonight, I'll be happy to-" He was cut short by Aquarius, who doused him from head to toe. "Back off, Loverboy, this new girl's gonna be on _my_ good side. Anyone who fights with Ms. Blondie is a plus for me," she said. Lucy felt a tick coming on. "Why is it that every _good_ spirit I summon has to be on the opposite side!" she complained.

"Lucy has the obvious advantage, since Celestial Wizards focus on their keys, not their strength," Erza said. Happy nodded. "But Kinara has more chances to attack, depending on how many battles that she had been through. It also makes a difference if she read about different spells as well, though it would be harder, because she would have to be able

to perfect them at first glance," added Happy.

"This is going to be tough."

Lucy panted hard. She'd already strained herself from summoning two spirits at once, not to mention the release of energy when she summoned Scorpio.

Loke noticed Lucy, and he knew that she used too much power. And he knew, firsthand, the response to that much power drain. "Lucy!" He charged at her, and for a moment she thought, stupidly, _He's gonna kill me._

Loke concentrated, his body glowing with energy. Almost immediately, Lucy's body regained power. "Loke! What did you _do_?" she said, surprised. Loke shrugged. "I used my own power to replace yours," he said casually. Happy whistled. "He looooves you," Happy commented, smirking. "Stop shipping me with so many people!" Lucy yelled.

Kinara chuckled. It was clear that she was tired. "Memory-make magic can run out fast, so Kinara has to concentrate on how many quantities she uses of it," explained Happy.

"Good work, Lucy. I hadn't expected you to hold out for this long." Kinara held herself in a pose that Lucy knew well. "Ohhh, no. Not her move!"

"Memory make- Enhanced Heaven's Wheel!" Kinara appeared with industrial armor that belonged to Erza, the iron plates now steel.

"What the hell?!" Natsu shouted. "Are you seeing that Erza?!" He yelled. "That, is the power of memory-make Magic," Erza replied. "Although I kind of wish she didn't use my attacks…" She muttered. "What was that?" Gray mocked. "Shut up," Erza rolled her eyes.

 **Natsu's Note: "Ooh… Erza** _ **no no**_ **like Kats-Kinara!"**

 **Erza's Note: "BE QUIET!"**

"But that's smart. Now, she just has to depend on her combative skills rather than her magical ones," remarked Happy. "She's a smart one, all right," Natsu said.

"In that case… go home, Aquarius!" said Lucy. Aquarius left, not before splashing Lucy with a douse of cold water. "Arrgh… O-open, gate of the archer! S-sagittarius!" The centaur appeared in a flash. "How do you do, my lady?" Sagittarius saluted her. "Good, thanks. Aim for that one!" directed Lucy, pointing at Kinara. "

Yes, my lady! I shall change these arrows for the special occasion…" The arrow tips changed from iron to gold. "These arrows will penetrate through anything!" claimed Sagittarius. Lucy clapped her hands. "Great!" Sagittarius pulled back the bowstring. "Come at me all you wa-" Kinara looked away. "Oh, Hi Natsu!" She said sweetly. "Um… Hi?" He replied uncertainly. "Watch out!" He shouted. Sagittarius let go of the arrows, and they hit the armor. The armor shattered. "Your magic power is too weak. Keep fighting, you'll lose!" Lucy smirked.

"If the armor was made of the silver metal as to mine, it would have surely stayed strong," Erza remarked. "Yea right," Gray smirked. Erza towered over Gray, with piercing eyes. "Wanna go there, Gray?" She said threateningly. "N-NO MA'AM!" Gray saluted. "Psh. Gray that's not how you do it. It's 'AYE SIR!" Happy saluted. Gray sighed. "Couldn't care less." Erza held up Gray's collar. "AYE SIR!" He shouted.

 _ **Gray's Note: "I've got to admit. Erza scares me like crap!"**_

 _ **Happy's Note: "Oh Erza~!"**_

 _ **Erza's Note: "What did you just say, Gray?"**_

 _ **Gray's Note (Continued); "NOTHING, SIR!"**_

 _ **Purrfectly Me: "If you guys keep fighting, we're gonna end the chapter here!"**_

 _ **Happy's Note (Continued): "WAIT!"**_

* * *

 **And we end the chapter here! :D We are going to continue this series soon, very soon, but… what could E.S. stand for? What will happen with the magical love triangle with Kat- We mean Kinara, Lucy, and Natsu? (mostly) all will reveal in the following chapter. Thanks for reading, and leave a review!**

 **~HowAboutTeam :}**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! So, Fairy Tail's gotten a pretty threatening message, they go bonkers with the defenses, Natsu's finally gotten around, and yeah. Last chapter, it all ended with Kinara and Lucy at each other's throats.**

 **Ooh, and Lucy also- you know what? Let Happy take the mic.**

 _ **Happy's Note: "Lucy loooooves Natsu!"**_

 _ **Lucy's Note: "No I don't! Shut it, cat!"**_

 _ **Natsu's Note: "What?"**_

 _ **Purrfect's Note: "Guys just- Let's move on to the credits!"**_

 _ **Credits: Joan Park :D, Purrfectly Me :3, Hiro Mashima :P**_

 **Disclaimer: We don't own anything of Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. :P**

* * *

Lucy panted, Kinara on the floor with her special armor shattered.

"Her magic must not be like yours, Erza," observed Happy. "Apparently, her armor depends on her magical energy too. It's like a fuel."

"I… I admit defeat," muttered Kinara, who glowed once and then went back to normal. Lucy smirked at her weakly. "Of course you are."

"Nice job, Kinara," Natsu smiled cheekily. Lucy felt her cheeks grow red. "Hey, are you blind? I won the match, Natsu!" she said indignantly as Wendy healed her wounds. "Yeah, yeah," Natsu replied. "But you're the one who kicked butt, she's the one who lost with a pretty good defeat." On the floor, Kinara blushed. "Thanks," she muttered. Lucy glared.

"So!" Lucy clapped her hands. "Want to go eat?" Natsu immediately looked at her. "Food? Naw, I ate too much- HELL YEAH LET'S GO!" he yelled, sprinting towards the guild hall. "Aye, sir!" chirped Happy next to him. Kinara stared at them, her belly rumbling. Natsu turned around. "Wanna come?" Natsu smiled. Kinara grinned, and got up. Lucy tried to object, but they were already halfway across the grounds.

"And we're invisible, are we?" muttered Erza, as Wendy and Gray nodded. Carla merely sniffed. "Come with us," said Lucy defeatedly.

 _ **Happy's Note: "Whatever Erza, they're totally in loooove…"**_

 _ **Lucy's Note: "I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING, YOU STUPID FELINE!"**_

 _ **Natsu's Note: "HAPPY!"**_

 _ **Erza's Note: "I agree, Happy. Lucy, I will only interfere if you allow cake to be on the menu."**_

Very soon, they were all sitting in a big table in the guild hall.

Kinara stared as Natsu chomped on five different plates… at the same time. "Goodness, is it always like this?" Erza chuckled. "Afraid so," she said.

Gray was sitting with Juvia, plate stacked almost the same length as Natsu's. "What, I'm hungry!" he defended as Juvia stared. Lucy sat next to Natsu. "You should be lucky I even have enough money to pay for rent AND this food!" She wagged a finger in his direction, almost poking his eye.

Kinara nodded. "Thank you," she said cautiously. Erza was busy checking out the menu. "Let's see… Wendy, which one sounds good to you- the raspberry cheesecake, the strawberry sponge cake, or the chocolate ice cream cake?" Erza tapped the menu. Wendy looked nervous, as she did after beating Erza at her own game. "Uh, they all look really good to me," she commented. Erza smiled wide. "The chocolate ice cream cake it is!"

Just when everyone got their food (except Natsu, he was already eating), a hand slapped on the table. "Yo," said Gray with a grin. Natsu's food went flying. "HEY!" he yelled, standing up to Gray. "WHY'D YOU MAKE ME LOSE MY LUNCH?"

Gray snickered. "First off, we already _ate_ lunch. Second off, you're a pig and a slob. Third off, I didn't know that I made you _that_ sick," he said teasingly.

Natsu glared at him. "Take that back."

"Make me!"

"You wanna fight?"

"Let's go!"

"Oh Gray, please be careful!" Juvia blushed.

Natsu charged at Gray and he swung a punch that narrowly missed, knocking over Erza's cake.

 _ **Lucy's Note: "Uh oh, you know the drill when Erza loses her cake, Happy!"**_

 _ **Happy's Note: "Aye sir! Duck and cover!"**_

Erza stared at her fallen cake, not aware of the fight that happened right in front of her eyes. "My cake…"

Her eyes gleamed with vengeance. "You," she hissed at Natsu, who froze for a second. "What?"

Erza walked up to him and punched him on the face, at the exact same time with Gray. "OW!" he yelled, two red marks on his cheeks. "What was that for?!" Natsu complained. "Nobody. Ruins. My. CAKE!" Erza yelled, swinging her fist. Natsu ducked, and Erza's fist hit Gray in the stomach. "What was that for! Watch your aim, idiot- oh crap." Gray saw who he was talking to.

"ARGH!" Erza screamed, aiming a series of attacks at Gray. On the last punch, Gray dodged, and Erza swung into Natsu, who was eating cake off the floor. "IS THAT MY CAKE?!" Erza yelled. Natsu coughed out crumbs. "Uh… No?" He smiled. "You're dead, NATSU!" Erza shouted. Natsu wiped his mouth. "Well, I got a fire in my belly now!" Natsu chuckled. Erza whacked him. Natsu crumbled. "Or… not!"

Lucy sighed. Kinara watched through wide eyes. "Word of advice, and this is free- when Erza gets fired up, you duck and cover." She grabbed Kinara and threw her outside of range.

"OW!" Kinara complained. "Stop it! Besides, I'd rather watch Natsu fighting," she added shyly.

Lucy couldn't take it anymore. "What is it with you and your smugness?" she said, throwing her hands up in the air. Kinara raised an eyebrow. "You really want to go there?" "Oh, I'll go there any time of the week, SISTAH!" Lucy challenged.

Kinara glared. "Well, I'm pretty sure that it's pronounced 'sister', and all you know about the time of the week is Natsu Day, blondie."

"Ugh, look who's talking. You couldn't last a day in a proper battle if you tried to remember which attack to use. I'll go easy on you, just make sure you put on some sunscreen because you are going to get ROASTED!" Lucy scoffed.

 _ **Happy's Note: "OHLOLOLOLOLOL!"**_

 _ **Lucy's Note: "SHUT UP!"**_

Kinara squinted. "You blind? You"- "Don't even try," Lucy interrupted.

Kinara and Lucy were face-to-face, nose-to-nose, eyes-to-eyes. (or whatever-to-whatever).

"Girls?" Erza waved a hand between them. Natsu was standing behind her, with Gray at his side. Both boys were beat-up by Erza's slaps, and the two boys were neck-to-neck. "I'll win next time!" Natsu exclaimed. "Just you wait and watch! You're no match for me!" Gray yelled. "Grr…"

"Grr…!"

"GRR!"

"GRRR!"

"Okay you two!" Lucy stepped between them. "That's enough," Erza turned around.

The door to the restaurant opened. "GUYS, QUICK! THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG AT THE GUILD!" Lisanna shouted. The group stared at each other, when Warren's telepathy reached them. "Guys! We found Freed and Elfman outside on the foot of the Guild steps!" Warren's voice rocketed in their minds. "Gajeel's out in the back!" yelled Lisanna. "WHAT?!" Levy screamed. They all ran to the back of the guild hall.

Gajeel limped towards them, cuts peppering his skin. Levy rushed to him. "Gajeel!" She muttered something. "Solid Script: Iron." A chunk of iron appeared before Gajeel and he weakly took it to eat. "Thanks, Shrimp," he snarfled as he chomped on the solid block of iron. "Oh my god, what _happened_ to you?"

Gajeel groaned suddenly. "Argh…" he groaned, exposing his emblem. Levy gasped in surprise and horror.

In his skin, on the proud emblem of Fairy Tail, was outlined in blood, along with the message: _**We are coming for you.**_

Lisanna came running in, the unconscious Freed and Elfman dragged behind her. "WENDY!" she cried, nearly sobbing. "WENDY! WE NEED YOU!"

Wendy burst through the crowd, running up to Elfman. "Oh, no…" She touched the bloody emblem that bore all three men. She took a close look at it. "This is black blood," she said, white-faced. Lisanna, Mirajane, Levy, and the Thunder Legion looked quite the same. "Black blood. Black blood contaminates the blood stream, and it is pretty harmful." She looked at Lisanna, shaking. "I can't do anything about it."

Lisanna and Mirajane both choked out a sob.

"Bring me a stack of books, quick!" Kinara stood, wavering. "I need a stack of books about the black blood spell! Maybe I can enhance the counterspell and save them!"

Almost immediately, a stack of books were brought to her, along with a pair of Lucy's Wind Glasses.

Kinara sat and flipped through it. "Mhmm… OH!" she shrieked, slamming the book shut. "I GOT IT!"

She threw off the glasses, then crashing on the floor. Lucy winced as they shattered.

"Everyone away!" Immediately everyone backed away. Lucy gripped onto Natsu's arm without even knowing.

 _ **Happy's Note: "Ooh, she l-"**_

 _ **Natsu & Lucy's Note: "SHUT THE HELL UP!"**_

 _ **Joan Park's Note: "Can we continue? Goodness me…"**_

 _ **Purr's Note: "She looooves Natsu!"**_

Kinara concentrated.

Slowly, a faint glow enveloped her. "I call upon the Great Healer, the path to life, the reverse of death! Envelop these injured instilled with thy enemy with the elixir of the living, with the elixir of Asclepius!" The glow increased. "I call a curse down on the enchanters, the servants of death, the servants of Zeref! I call down the curse of irreversible sleep, the demon inside! Warp those who dare defy the species of wizardkind!" The blood on the unconscious men glowed and turned red. "PROTECT THOSE WHO SUFFERED! CURE THE INNOCENT AND INSTALL THEM WITH GREAT POWER WITHIN!"

 _ **Purr's Note: "Potatooo~" :3**_

 _ **Natsu's Note: "What was that for?"**_

 _ **Happy's Note: "Salmon~" :D**_

 _ **Lucy's Note: "What the…"**_

 _ **Joan Park's Note: "Just when this was getting serious…"**_

As soon as she collapsed, the three woke up, healthy and healed. "What-" stared Elfman, but Lisanna and Mira tackled him. "I thought you were going to leave us!" sobbed Mira. "Big brother Elf, don't ever do that again! Ever!" Lisanna pounded on his chest.

Elfman looked extremely confused. "Of course I won't! It's not manly!" he protested.

Meanwhile, Freed were being overwhelmed by the Thunder Legion, and he even got a well-earned hug from Laxus. "Thanks, bro…" mumbled Laxus.

Gajeel were being hugged to death by Lily and Levy. "GET OFF ME!" bellowed Gajeel.

Lucy stood awkwardly by as Natsu ran towards Kinara. "Kinara!" He was stopped by Wendy, who was trying her hardest to heal her.

 _ **Gray's Note: "Damn, he actually got her name right that time…"**_

 _ **Natsu's Note: "Shut the hell up, man!"**_

Wendy sighed in relief. "She'll be fine. She just used up a lot of magical energy at once."

Gray stayed rooted to the spot. "What _was_ that?" he said. "That was an immensely powerful spell that most healing magicians would _die_ trying to master," said Wendy. She looked at Kinara wistfully. "Wish I could."

Natsu exhaled in relief. "So she's good?" Wendy nodded. "All she needs is a little rest and she'll be fine."

Erza's face was still impassive. "Still. What attacked you?" she questioned the victims. "It was… it was…" Freed shivered.

"It was _MANLY!_ " shouted out Elfman. Gajeel grunted. "Yeah, it took us three with no trouble at all," he grumbled.

Lucy gaped at them. "Seriously?" Gajeel nodded. "Hit us before we knew it. We really need to be careful," he said. "When we go on jobs, we need to be able to stay together. I admit, didn't really expect an ambush of such a ragtag group- or my ragtag teammates," he mumbled.

Freed shook his head. "Whatever it was, it was immensely powerful. We need to get better teams."

Master Makarov's face had turned white. "If I had the chance," he growled. "If I knew who these ruffians were, I would destroy them, right here and now. Anyone- _anyone_ \- who dares mess with Fairy Tail's name must be punished!"

Gajeel winced, as he remembered his time with the Phantom Lord.

Mira put a hand on his arm. "We will fight," she said, voice cracking. "We _will_ fight for Fairy Tail. We just need to be ready."

Suddenly, a shimmering girl walked up to them. "Master Mavis," gasped Lucy.

The First Master, smiled at them. "Hello, Fairy Tail. I heard about E.S. and I intend to share any information I possess."

Master Makarov stared at her. "You know about E.S.?" Master Mavis chuckled. "Why, of course I do! E.S. has been targeting Fairy Tail since it was created! E.S. is the next Blue Skull," she said.

Natsu cocked his head. "E.S. is the new what now?"

Master Mavis's smile had long gone. "Blue Skull had rampaged my village, killed thousands of people, and destroyed grand cities. They even pillaged Magnolia."

Master Makarov stared at her. "We did not know that Blue Skull had come to Magnolia," he spluttered. Master Mavis nodded. "But I and my comrades defeated them and we set up Fairy Tail here. But it seems like the former founders of Blue Skull had men who escaped and made a new guild, E.S."

Laxus sat back down, coat flapping. "Do you know what it stands for?"

Master Mavis closed her eyes. "As a matter of fact, I do," she said quietly.

Everyone hung on to her every word, wanting to know the name of this monstrous guild.

"Its name is…. Etherious Shadow."

* * *

 **Dun dun dun! So, that chapter wasn't** _ **quite**_ **as long as the last one, but it was certainly dramatic! What will happen next chapter? Will the battle finally commence? Will Master Mavis create a battle plan?**

 **We don't know, but until that happens..**

 **Peace from Magnolia,**

 **~HowAboutTeam :}**


	6. Chapter 6

**Heyy guys! Here's a quick update: Joan Park is now** _ **Joanne**_ **Park, just sayin'.**

 **So, from last chapter, Fairy Tail finally got the name of E.S. after a close call with Elfman (the man), Freed, and Gajeel. All that remains now, is…**

 **Will the battle commence today? Who will finally win the heart of Natsu- Kinara or Lucy? Review your answer- (Naki or Nalu!)**

 _ **Lucy's Note: "Come on, Joanne! Don't go that low!" :T**_

 _ **Natsu's Note: "Actually, I don't mind." ;)**_

 _ **Lucy's Note (Continued): "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" -**_

 _ **Purr's Note: "Here we go again…" -.-**_

 _ **Credits: Joanne Park :D, Purrfectly Me :3, Hiro Mashima L:**_

 **Disclaimer: We don't own anything in Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Everyone stared at Master Mavis.

"Etherious Shadow…?" said Gray. Lucy shook her head. "We keep hearing that word. _Etherious_. I mean, I get the etherion pores, but an etherious shadow…?"

Gajeel cracked his knuckles. "Well, if it has to do with shadows, then I'm in!"

Mira shook her head. "No, we need to analyze on this. They could be dangerous." Erza nodded gravely.

Kinara stirred. "Kinara!" started Lucy, then was pushed back by Erza.

Wendy leaned over her, hands glowing. "There," she sighed, as Kinara blinked and got up. "You're good as new."

Kinara stared at her hands. "W-what… did it work? Did the spell work?" she said frantically. Lucy nodded and smiled, giving a thumbs up. "Yep, and you definitely deserve a thank you."

"Thanks," mumbled Freed. "What he said," chorused Elfman and Gajeel. Kinara winced. "If I got the spell exactly right, anyone who gave you three the black blood would be cursed with eternal sleep. That would mean that whoever did this will probably never do it again."

Levy whooped. "You were _amazing!_ How did you manage to get that so fast?" she said. Kinara shrugged. "I'm a memory-make wizard. I live for extra memories in my head."

Master Makarov sighed. "Well, at least everyone's safe. First Master?" he said, turning to the disappeared Master. "It seems she had gone," he said, troubled.

When the group started breaking up, Lucy came up to Kinara. "Hey," she said softly. Kinara ducked her head. "Hi."

Lucy started to apologize. "Hey, I'm sorry for what I said before, I didn't really mean it, I was just overly stressed and-"

Kinara smiled coyly. "Was it because of Natsu?" she said.

 _ **Lucy's Note: "Ohh no. Here it comes…"**_

 _ **Happy's Note: "I'm ready when you are!"**_

 _ **Natsu's Note: "What? By the way, do you have any food?"**_

 _ **Kinara's Note: "What is this, by the way?"**_

Lucy blushed. "Ah, um…"

Kinara laughed. "Hey, let's be friends. Don't let a boy come between us, right?"

Lucy laughed nervously. "Heh. Yeah."

Erza nodded, approving. "Well, we must be vigilant. There is someone highly dangerous watching us, so we need to be on our guard all the time."

Natsu was already running to the stadium. "TRAINING, HERE I COME!" he shouted as he sprinted down the road. Lucy smacked her head.

Back at Lucy's apartment, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Kinara, Wendy, and the exceeds were all sitting down.

"Uh… is it just me, or is it really crowded here?" squeaked Lucy.

Gray nodded. "Yeah, we need to spread out more."

Erza slapped a hand. "Yes, so here's the battle plan!" Lucy sighed. "You mean the bedding plan?"

"I, Lucy, Kinara, Wendy, and Carla will take the living room-"

"Hey, I want my own bed!" protested Lucy. Erza shook her head. "Your room is not big enough for five people."

Lucy groaned. "This sucks…"

"Natsu, Gray, and Happy will take Lucy's bedroom. Don't mess anything up," cautioned Erza.

Natsu grinned. "Nah, 'course not."

Lucy scowled.

After a sleepless night (to Lucy, anyway- she couldn't sleep without her bed.)

 _ **Lucy's Note: "THAT IS SO NOT TRUE!"**_

 _ **Gray, Erza, Natsu's Note: "It so is."**_

 _ **Wendy's Note: "Uh... I don't know..."**_

 _ **Happy's Note: "Aye sir!"**_

Wendy was already making breakfast. "Good morning, guys!" she chirped as Carla sat on the blanket that Wendy slept in. "Sleeping on the floor... and just when I thought I could go no lower!" she sniffed indignantly.

Erza yawned. "Good morning, Wendy, it's nice to see someone so chipper."

Kinara groaned. "Is it morning yet?"

Natsu, Gray, and Happy stumbled out of Lucy's room. Kinara stared.

Lucy yelped. "Gray, _cover up!_ " He blinked. "Is that Lucy or Wendy?"

Wendy jumped. "How do you mix that up?" mumbled Natsu. He pointed at Erza. "It's obvious that _that's_ Lucy and _that's_ Wendy," he said, pointing now at Carla.

Wendy's chin wavered. "Why do you always pick on me!" she started to wail.

Natsu clumsily patted Carla's head. "It's okay, Wendy, I'm here…"

 _ **Lucy's Note: "Ha ha, that was funny. Were you two getting drinks with Cana?"**_

 _ **Natsu's Note: "No! I was just… just sleepy, okay?"**_

 _ **Gray's Note: "For once, I agree with the idiot."**_

He dropped to the floor, sleeping.

Lucy shook her head. "And just when I thought that he couldn't get any more stupid…"

Kinara took in a sharp breath. "So, uh… why in the depths of the forgotten was Gray half naked?" Lucy started to laugh, and eventually Wendy, Erza, and Kinara joined in. "He's got this weird habit of doing it," chuckled Erza.

"Y-yeah, I can tell." Kinara said.

Lucy grabbed a blanket and threw it over Natsu's limp body. "Well, we can't afford them to catch a cold. Let's eat before they wake up!"

And so they ate.

Kinara performed tricks with her memory-make magic. "There you go," she said, handing the crystallized emblem to Wendy. She oogled it. "Wow! It's just like Gray's ice-make magic, but… but.. _Cooler!_ Is that even possible?" she said, joking.

Erza chuckled, then turned to Kinara. "How do you like Fairy Tail so far?" Kinara smiled. "It's amazing! Better than the woods, anyway," she said. Lucy grinned right back, then shoveled eggs and bacon in her mouth. Carla sniffed in disgust. "As a proper lady, I refuse to watch this so-called woman stuff food in her mouth like men!" Lucy shook her head, eyes crinkling.

"It's only because Natsu's going to steal her food," explained Wendy. She smiled.

Natsu groaned and woke up. "Food?"

He was slapped by Lucy and Erza. "How _dare_ you call me Lucy!" barked Erza. Lucy glared at him. "And how do you mistake _me_ for Kinara?"

Natsu cocked his head. "What?"

Kinara put her hands up. "Whoa, let's all just calm down."

Gray and Happy were up too. "Hey, why're you eating without us?" said Happy. Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Right."

Later, when they went back to the guild, many grouped wizards stood huddled together.

Lucy stared around. "Whoa. That black blood incident really shook them up." She pointed to the combined team of Shadowgear and the Thunder Legion. "They even paired up together."

Erza shook her head. "We don't need anyone else on our team. We've got six people here, it's enough. Right?" she challenged. Everyone shook their heads yes.

"Good."

Kinara whispered, "Is she always that scary?"

 _ **Natsu's Note: "Yes."**_

 _ **Gray's Note: "Yes."**_

 _ **Lucy's Note: "Yes."**_

 _ **Wendy's Note: "Yes."**_

 _ **Happy's Note: "Aye, sir!"**_

"Yes," hissed a dozen of voices.

Erza marched through the main hall. "Listen, whatever this guild is, it's ruining ours. We need to find them, and fast."

Natsu grinned. "So you're saying…"

"I'm saying we should go find them," said Erza simply.

" _WHAT?"_ yelled Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Kinara, Happy, and all of the other members of the guild.

"She's crazy," said Macao. "Yeah, even I don't wanna face this guild, and I'm manly!" concluded Elfman. Erza glared everybody down. "We _will._ They hurt three members of our guild."

Lucy snapped her fingers. "I've got it!"

She brought of the key of Grandpa Crux. "Open, gate of the Southern Cross!" she yelled swiping the air. "Crux!"

Immediately, an old-looking cross (if crosses could look old) appeared, apparently snoring.

"He's thinking!" yelled out Lucy, as many guild members opened their mouths. "Grandpa Crux, we need to know anything about Etherious Shadow."

The cross nodded.

He leaned over, apparently sleeping, then screamed out loud.

Kinara covered her ears. "God, shut up!" she yelled.

Grandpa Crux threw a dirty look at her, then looked at Lucy. "Etherious Shadow is exactly what it sounds like, Miss Lucy. They gather all of the magic in their area and turn them into pure evil magic energy, then releasing it for the wizards around to consume evil energy. They could as well end up like what happened to Mr. Dragneel a while back."

Lucy stared at him, wide-eyed. "Where are they now?"

Grandpa Crux lolled his head, now for real sleeping.

Lucy sighed. "Thanks, Grandpa Crux. You may go now." The gate of the southern cross closed.

Lucy turned to the others. "Well, at least we know what they do," she said, trying to sound cheerful. Erza slammed a fist on a table, nearly cracking it in two. Lucy jumped back and hid behind Natsu.

"Argh! We need to know the location of this… this… _Etherious Shadow,_ " she said, malice in her voice.

Natsu raised a hand, smirking. Erza glared at him. "Natsu, unless you've got an idea as to find the location of E.S.-"

He grinned innocently. "Yep, that's what I was about to say."

 _ **Happy's Note: "Natsu actually thought of that idea? I thought Erza did!"**_

 _ **Lucy's Note: "Wait for it…"**_

Natsu shrugged. "Well, I just thought that those Blue Pegasus pretty boys had like, computer-type magic. Can't they just, ya know, give us the location?"

Erza started to shiver.

"Uh, Blue Pegasus? Must I come?" she said, wincing. Lucy winked. "Is it because of Ichiya?"

Erza nodded silently. Gray threw an arm over her shoulder. "Then we look for them! Isn't that great?" he said, forced cheerfulness. He laughed nervously.

Kinara raised a hand. "Uh, I just remembered something."

Lucy turned to her. "Yeah, what is it?" she said kindly.

"I just remembered something before Natsu found me. I am… I _was_ part of the Blue Pegasus guild."

* * *

 **Dun dun dun…. oh wow! So we found a whole load of information on this new guild and new girl in one day! So, sorry for the delay, we had a bunch of tests and- and we should** _**not**_ **get involved. Leave a review, and thanks for reading!**

 **Peace from Magnolia,**

 **~HowAboutTeam :}**


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